The Wedding Fitness Plan

I’ve got just under 3 months until my sister-in-law’s wedding, and as usual, I have no intention of having back fat in the pictures. So I’m sharing my fitness plan across the next 11 weeks, both to hold me accountable and to provide an easy step by step guide if you’re looking for a similar plan. I’ve been inspired a bit by the last time I did this, having read the posts from my old blog.

First of all, the maths

I want to lose 4.6kg in 11 weeks which equates to just about 400g per week. To do that, I’ll need to ensure I am eating less energy than I am burning. But I love to eat so what does that mean exactly? Well first off, I need to work out how many calories equate to 400g. There are about 3500 calories in 1 pound and 1 pound helpfully equates to just about 400g. Therefore to lose 400g a week, I need to create a weekly deficit of 3500 or 500 per day.

Next up, it’s time to calculate how much energy your body burns on average every day if you did absolutely nothing and stayed in bed. This is your base metabolic rate and there are lots of calculators online that will help you calculate this using your weight, height and age. Some of these calculators, like this one, will also help by providing a calculation that shows how many calories you need per day according to how much movement you do.

So, based on all of the above, I’m basically targeting around 1400 calories per day. Doesn’t sound like much does it? But… when you start eating real food, it actually can leave you quite full.

Second of all, the rules

I’m sensible enough to realise that I like certain foods, and depriving myself for 11 weeks is not a wise move. It’ll just leave me cranky. So what can I do to ensure I hit my daily calorie goal? Here are my weekly rules.

1. Control Your Portions

This is best done by physically eating from a smaller plate. You can’t fit as much on and it will trick your mind into thinking you are eating more because your plate is fuller.

2. Drink More Water

Instead of feeding your thirst with food, feed it with water to make sure you’re as well hydrated as possible.

3. Pick A Chocolate / Treat Day

If you can’t do without your sweet fix, pick a day that you’re allowed to have some and make sure what you’re having is just chocolate. This one is basically borrowed from childhood where my mum insisted I had only two ‘sweetie days’ per week.

4. Get Enough Sleep

Not enough sleep = tired the next day = snacking on all the wrong foods. Give yourself the best chance by catching enough z’s.

5. Make The Little Substitutions

If you have two sugars in your coffee, cut back to one, if you have one, cut back to a half or none.

Third of all, be prepared

Finally, don’t allow yourself to get into the position where you need to crack. Always have a friendly snack in your bag. Whether it’s a bag of nuts, some trail mix or even, in my wife’s case, a bag of pulled pork – it’s WAY better for you than to head for the donuts.